Our kids never cease to amaze us. Those minds are just so fluid and open, they’re always coming up with brilliant ideas and creative inventions that our cynical adult brains would probably nix before the ideas got halfway off the ground.

So we asked a whole bunch of our favorite kids of all ages to come up with any invention at all that solves a problem — and we can’t stop smiling at what they invented!

A Claw Machine Where Everyone Wins
by Bridget, age 6

I love claw machines but most of the time I never win and then I get sad. So I want to invent one where all kids can play and get a prize. Then everyone would be happy. – Bridget

The Medicinal Vending Machine!!!”
(*Note: Must have 3 exclamation points)
by Cleo, age 10

I call it the Medicinal Vending Machine!!! It’s like a vending machine, but it only gives out medicine. You scan your hand there so it knows you you are and put in a dollar. It reads your germs and gives you the right medicine. One slot is empty, and will be until we find a cure for cancer. – Cleo

The Nosy Dog Bed For Older Dogs
by Quinlan, age 12

I wanted to make this invention because our dog Audrey has trouble finding her bed. She’s 14 years old and can’t see or hear very well, so she usually finds everything by smell or touch. So, I thought to invent a bed that can be found just by smell, for older dogs like Audrey. – Quinlan

The Lunch Maker
by Annie, age 9

The lunch maker is so we can watch TV while it makes lunch or dinner. It takes all my favorite foods and puts them into my lunch box so I don’t have to make it myself. I can tell it what I like to eat with an app, and it will know to put those things in my lunch. – Annie

Reading Mind Teleporter
by Paul, age 7

The reading mind teleporter reads your mind and teleports you and the stuff you want to bring to the place you want to go. So now you don’t have to take suitcases on long trips! You also just disappear from the place you are, to the place you want to go to. – Paul

Lifelike AI Robot Cat for People with Allergies
by Thalia, age 11

I am sad for people who are allergic and can’t have cats or kittens, so I wanted to invent an AI robot cat that is just like a real one. You can’t even tell the difference. You can customize what yours looks like, make it a cat or a kitten, and you feed it food which is actually battery power to help it run. A month’s supply of the battery food is $14. It’s important that the robot cats are only for people who really need them, so that we still have real cats. Also, the robot cats are water resistant because robot cats hate water too. –Thalia

The Ping Pong Maniac
by Oliver, age 7

This is a robot that plays ping pong with you if you don’t have another human partner. There is a sliding scale so that you can calibrate your skill level from level one (easy) to level 100 (super hard). There is an on/off button as well. It’s 4′ 2″ tall and it follows ALL of your directions. It doesn’t have a battery — if you wanted to, it could play constantly for your whole life. BUT remember to turn it off, because if you don’t it can go cuckoo unexpectedly. -Oliver

Unicorn Poo Energy
by Drew, age 10

Unicorn poo is very strong already because it’s made out of rainbows and it’s super powerful. So if we just add nuclear power, it could create energy. – Drew

———–About our sponsor

If you’ve got a creative child who loves to solve problems or just invent, Autodesk offers a simple way for kids to get involved in STEM right at home.

Tinkercad is a free, web-based 3D design and modeling tool that’s so easy to use, kids as young as 4 can jump right in and start creating. You can even watch Quinlan (who invented the clever pet bed for older dogs above) explain Tinkercad and the projects she’s creating on our own Facebook Live video.

Most kids are bursting with so many ideas, they’ll be able to get online and start making. But for kids who want some ideas, they can also check out the free Instructables classes featuring DIY projects for all ages on everything from cooking to Minecraft.

Yay for STEM!

———–

Homework Helper
By Luci, age 9

This little self-charging thing can do all of your homework for you. Or at least edit it! Also it works all the time and you don’t need batteries so they can never run out. – Luci

The Ultra Water Bottle with Selfie Stick
by Margot, age 8

Sometimes in the summer you have to run in and out of the house to get water or a fan, but with this, you have everything you need. Like a self-filler, a fan, and a selfie stick. – Margot

The Petanator Pet Maker
by Jai, age 5; Alina, age 7; Nola, age 9

It will either give you the pet of your dreams OR make you into your favorite pet. It is a computer that will manifest a pet or you could flip a switch and become a pet of your choice. There is also a control watch option! – Jai, Alina and Nola

The Pollution Filterator 1000
by Isaac, age 10

I invented a machine that sucks in polluted air, runs it through a filter, and emits the cleaned air out of two tubes. It’s about the size of a bedside table and is designed for your backyard. The idea is that everyone who is able can buy one, and then they all work together to help filter the air to make a bigger impact. It’s also inexpensive, so that as many people as possible can afford one. – Isaac

Grand Goat
by Rowan, age 9

This is a Grand Goat invention, which I made to solve the fact that we have no animals in the world today who can talk, transform, or call your friends. Only $100! – Rowan

Glove with Spoon 6th Finger
by Sage, age 9; and Marlo, age 7

We realized that sometimes you go to school and want to eat something with a spoon and you just don’t have one. And if you raise your hand to ask the lunch lady, sometimes it takes so long that by the time she gets to you, you don’t have time to eat! So we invented gloves you can wear, with a sixth finger that is a spoon.

Then I said it would be cool if you could press a button on the glove to make the spoon cold if you’re eating like yogurt. And Marlo said then we should be able to press a button on the back to make the spoon warm for soup or mac n cheese so it won’t get gross and cold by the time it’s lunch. If you want to take the glove off, just press the tip of the pinkie and it will come off and the spoon finger will be dry! – Sage and Marlo